Cool Guide to Parenting

The best Austin music programs for budding little rock stars

Let your kid sing their heart out, pound on the drums, or master a string instrument at these local spots.

Photo by Kimberly Brooke

For new parents just settling into town, here's a phrase you will hear often: Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World. No humble brag here. It’s a declaration that's pretty right on. There are places to see music every night of the week, festivals abound, and many music venues are smart enough to be kid-friendly. So what to do with this windfall of musical inspiration? Get your kids in on music classes, of course.

Just as there are endless possibilities of where to see music in town, there are limitless choices for where to learn an instrument as well. Here are a few of our favorite local spots offering music lessons for kids.

Armstrong Community Music School
Armstrong Community Music School (ACMS) exemplifies the healing power of music. In addition to offering a comprehensive variety of classes in classical, jazz, blues, folk, and world music, ACMS offers year-round scholarships, classes for kids receiving assistance from SafePlace, lessons for the Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center, and support for We Are the Chorus, a choir for adults with developmental disabilities.

There's still time to sign up for the second round of early childhood summer programs like Rock All Ages, or you can register your budding young vocalist for the Youth Chamber Singers (7-10 years).

Girls Rock Austin
Girls Rock Austin is the perfect place for the little lead guitarist in your life, or maybe you know a drummer girl who wants to make some noise! Whatever their predilection for noise-making, this School of Rock will guide them in the right direction while empowering them to follow their heart and trust their gut. Summer Girls Rock Camp is offered to girls, gender fluid/nonbinary, and trans youth ages 8 to 17. Instructors teach campers guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, or vocals. No prior musical experience is required.

Heartsong Music
If your wee music makers are still at home with you, Heartsong Music offers classes to inspire all age groups. Music Together mixed-age classes (birth to 5), babies classes (8 months and younger), and intergenerational classes (birth to 5) take place at assisted-living facilities. Founder Carrie Youngblood, a certified Montessori teacher of 40 years, saw a need for classes and geared them towards preschool learners. From nursery rhymes to fun chants, rhythm play to scarves and shakers, Heartsong will get your little ones moving and grooving, all while learning the basics of music.

Suzuki Strings of Austin
Suzuki Strings of Austin (SSOA) teaches the Suzuki Method of instruction through mindfulness, perseverance, and experiencing success. With a focus on classical music, SSOA believes every child can learn an instrument, encouraging creativity and self-expression along the way. The entire family gets involved in the learning process at SSOA, which has fostered a tight-knit community. Violin, viola, and cello lessons start for kids as young as 3 years old.

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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